Pausanias Analysis

Passage 4.34.2

← 4.34.1 4.34.3 →

Passage 4.34.2: Fish of the Pamisus River

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

διάφοροι δὲ τὸ εἶδος μάλιστα ἰχθῦς ἀναθέουσιν ἐς τὸν Πάμισον ἅτε ἐς ὕδωρ καθαρὸν καὶ οὐ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς κατειλεγμένοις ποταμοῖς ἰλυῶδες· οἱ κέφαλοι δέ, ἅτε ἰχθύων ὄντες τῶν πηλαίων, ποταμῶν φίλοι τῶν θολερωτέρων εἰσί. θηρία δὲ ἐς ὄλεθρον ἀνθρώπων οὐ πεφύκασιν οἱ Ἑλλήνων ποταμοὶ φέρειν, καθάπερ γε Ἰνδὸς καὶ Νεῖλος ὁ Αἰγύπτιος, ἔτι δὲ Ῥῆνος καὶ Ἴστρος Εὐφράτης τε καὶ Φᾶσις· οὗτοι γὰρ δὴ θηρία ὅμοια τοῖς μάλιστα ἀνδροφάγα αὔξουσι, ταῖς ἐν Ἕρμῳ καὶ Μαιάνδρῳ γλάνισιν ἐοικότα ἰδέας πλὴν χρόας τε μελαντέρας καὶ ἀλκῆς· ταῦτα δὲ αἱ γλάνεις ἀποδέουσιν.

English Translation

Fish of unusually varied appearance ascend the Pamisus, since its waters are clear and differ from those of the aforementioned rivers, whose streams are muddy. Grey mullets, however, being fish that prefer muddy habitats, favor rivers whose waters are cloudier. Greek rivers by nature do not produce wild animals destructive to humans, as do the rivers of India and the Egyptian Nile, as well as the Rhine, the Danube, the Euphrates, and the Phasis. These indeed nurture animals that are among the most dangerous man-eaters, resembling the catfish found in the Hermus and Maeander rivers in shape, but considerably darker in color and greater strength—qualities in which the catfish are lacking.

Proper Nouns

Egyptian (Αἰγύπτιος) other
Hellenes (Ἕλληνες) person
Euphrates (Εὐφράτης) place Q34589
Also in: 2.5.3 10.29.4
Maeander (Μαίανδρος) place Q211089
Nile (Νεῖλος) place Q3392
Pamisos (Πάμισος) place Q3100663
Phasis (Φᾶσις) place Q378091
Hermus (Ἕρμος) place Q1351474
Indus (Ἰνδός) place Q7348
Also in: 4.34.3
Ister (Ἴστρος) place Q1674841
Rhine (Ῥῆνος) place
Also in: 4.34.1 8.28.2
← 4.34.1 4.34.3 →